Local Businesses Line Up for Annual Earth Day Festival

DANA BINFET, HOST:

Earth Day is less than a week away. But New York City businesses that focus on sustainability efforts are celebrating early. Hannah Lorenzo was at the Earth Day Festival at Union Square Park earlier. Many of these businesses are concerned with their prices rising from President Donald Trump’s tariffs, but others don’t see much of an impact yet.  

HANNAH LORENZO, BYLINE: It’s a sunny spring day at Union Square park. In the middle of the square, there’s a stage set up with pops of purple, pink and blue banners promoting the Earth Day Festival. The pop music is already blaring. But only a few businesses have shown up to their booths. Including jewelry company Article 22. 

General manager Kendall Silwonuk is still setting up her booth that’s draped in pink and green tablecloth. The jewelry’s not out on display yet, but she’s wearing some of the pieces: including a silver bangle made out of upcycled aluminum. 

KENDALL SILWONUK: So it’s part shrapnel, part recycled aluminum that our artisans melt down into a mold. They make it with wood and ash. They carve the shape into it. And they pour the aluminum into the top, and it cools in the mold to form these shapes. 

LORENZO: The company’s jewelry pieces are made by artisans in Laos. Which is one of the countries in Southeast Asia that President Trump is placing higher tariffs on.  

SILWONUK: With, of course, the tariffs and this impact on small business especially, it is going to become very unsustainable for small businesses with those tariffs. So, of course they've been frozen for a couple days. And we're hoping to continue to advocate for that freeze. I believe the Laos tariff was 48 percent when it was announced.

LORENZO: A 48 percent tariff on imports from Laos is in addition to President Trump’s 10 percent baseline for virtually all countries. But Article 22’s jewelry pieces haven’t had to change because of the temporary freeze on the increase of tariffs.  

SILWONUK: So bangles range between 40 and 80 dollars engraved. Earrings start closer to 130. Our necklaces start at 85. And rings start around 110. However, our prices have not increased with the tariffs yet. So we're hoping to maintain, keep this a very attainable jewelry for everybody at every price point.

Kendall Silwonuk sets up the booth for Article 22.

LORENZO: What about the bags that we take to the store? Mark Nathan is the CEO of Plastech. He sells reusable bags that he says are made out of a patent-pending anti-microbial agent. 

MARK NATHAN: Feels like plastic, looks like plastic, acts like plastic, but it's all made of corn. These bags literally cost 0.30 cents, and they're stronger than those reusable bags, those polypropylene bags that you buy at the store for a dollar or two.

LORENZO: His bags are made in China. But he plans to move the company’s production to the U.S. Nathan says that even with tariffs—which Trump raised to 145 percent on Chinese imports—the cost of his products are still affordable.

NATHAN: The pricing I was giving you is what is currently with the, with the tariffs. So when the tariffs come back down, which they will eventually. They'll be, they'll be even go down. But we're, we're really the same price as plastic which is, which is great. And there's zero plastic in it and higher quality product.

Plastech CEO Mark Nathan and commerical fisherman Brick Wenzel

LORENZO: A few booths away, Nickie Le is standing behind different colored pots and plates. Le is the catering manager of Le Botaniste, a plant-based restaurant. Le previews a few of the dishes and treats that they’re selling to customers today.

NICKIE LE: And then also our plant-based chili. And then it's topped with turmeric, onions and sour cream, that's made out of coconut, and also fresh herbs. And we also have our delicious desserts: chocolate pecan cookie, quinoa peanut butter cookie, and our omega three brownie.

LORENZO: Le says the U.S. government hasn’t been doing enough to ease the impact of climate change. Especially after President Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement—an international treaty on climate change—earlier in January. But Le says people can still make a difference, even through food. 

LE: I think it's on everybody else's part to do our best to minimize wherever we can, even just eating one plant-based meal can really help, you know, just in your own life. It doesn't take more than small efforts basically to kind of take part in reducing your carbon footprint.

LORENZO: The Earth Day Festival is hosted annually in New York City and also includes exhibits by environmental nonprofits, green living experts, sustainable businesses and even an improv team performance. The booths are at Union Square for the festival until 6 p.m. today.

Hannah Lorenzo, Columbia Radio News.